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Patrick Charland, of the Darien Sport Shop, adjusts the straps as he fits a backpack for Patrick Daigle, 7, of Darien.
It's back to school and back to wearing backpacks for most of the 53 million K-12 students heading for class. In a back-to-school survey, Lands' End found that while 27 percent of girls said the most important back-to-school item was jeans, 34 percent of the boys chose backpacks as their No. 1 item for school and 84 percent of the moms surveyed agreed with them.

But, with these handy carriers come worries about back problems. While there are alternatives — backpacks on wheels, messenger bags, etc. — backpacks are as popular as ever, so a lesson on lightening the load is always in order. As experts warn, a too heavy backpack may cause problems in the years ahead.

"The backpack should weigh no more than 10 percent of a child's body weight," said Greg Birsky, a chiropractor at Integrated Therapies in Darien. "Kids are overloading them. I have two daughters, one in college and one in high school I've gone through this as a father."

Citing a 2004 study in the Journal of Pediatric Orthopedics, he said that there is a significant increase in back pain among youngsters that correlates to heavy backpacks. The biggest culprit of backpack overload? It's textbooks, he said. To remedy this strain, Birsky suggests keeping an extra set at home, if possible, so kids don't have to carry these heavy books back and forth to school everyday.

But, overload is only one part of the problem. Students also are not wearing their backpacks properly. For whatever reason, style or

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convenience, it's more common to see kids wear them slung over one shoulder, not two, and not use the shoulder or sternum straps, he said.

"The long-term concern is posture and compression of the spine and muscular-skeletal [system], issues that can show up later in life," he said. "We don't know the long-term side effects."

Birsky offers these backpack safety suggestions:

  • Start with the correct size backpack for your child. This will help reduce the possibility of overloading it.
  • Distribute items in the bag evenly to help distribute the weight.
  • Kids should stand tall, wear both shoulder straps and not lean forward when they walk.
  • Take off the backpack if you're standing for a long time.

To find the correct size and get a proper fit for your child may take a little help. Patrick Charland, floor manager at the Darien Sport Shop, started fitting children with backpacks about nine years ago. First, he says, he asks the youngsters what they'll put in their backpacks, then he considers their size and weight. Backpack sizes are measured by volume in cubic inches, a number that should be on the pack's label, Charland said.

For example, an elementary school student might need a smaller backpack, about 1,500 cubic inches, while a middle school student would be better off with a backpack volume of 1,800 to 1,850 cubic inches.

The Darien Sport Shop carries the North Face brand, which comes in a variety of styles for boys and girls and a variety of prices — from $49 to $109 — and seem to be popular with kids. And they last at least through a school year, if not longer, he said.

"They're very well put together and are designed to carry a lot of weight," he said. "The shoulder straps and the back of the pack have padding to disperse weight off the spine and put it on the waist and shoulders."

He fits students as young as the third or fourth grade, he said, but it's the teens and pre-teens who are the hardest to convince to wear the packs properly.

"Younger kids like to use the belts and buckles," he said.

Most students also like the pockets built in the bags to organize their stuff, like iPods, cell phones and laptops, he said.

"Today's kids are technologically advanced so [the pockets] are there if they need [them]," he said.

Birsky will provide tips and answer questions on backpack safety today and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Darien Sport Shop, 1127 Post Road, Darien. There will also be children's entertainment on those days from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 2 p.m.Representatives from North Face will help shoppers with backpack selection and fittings Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call the store at 655-2575 for more information.A collection of age-appropriate backpacks can also be found at Lands' End.

For more information, visit landsend.com or call 1-800-734-5437.